MTN dominates South African mobile market, network quality report shows
MTN outpaced competitors with an average download speed of 82.48Mbps, significantly higher than the national average of 66.82Mbps.
Vodacom followed with 77.45Mbps, while Cell C and Telkom trailed at 39.32Mbps and 30.49Mbps, respectively. Rain lagged significantly with an average download speed of only 19.41Mbps.
MTN's success is attributed to their substantial R10bn infrastructure investment over the past year. The company notably increased capital expenditure by 15%, focusing on upgrading power systems to mitigate South Africa's ongoing electricity crisis.
Vodacom rules 5G hill
Despite MTN's overall dominance, Vodacom has emerged as the top 5G provider, thanks to its concentrated investment in its 5G rollout.
MTN's network quality was evident across South Africa's major cities: Cape Town, eThekwini, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, and Nelson Mandela Bay. Vodacom, however, maintained its lead in Johannesburg.
Cell C notably improved its performance from Q1 2023, with average download speeds increasing to 39.32Mbps, allowing them to overtake Telkom.
Related
Spotting opportunity in the backyard: Aubrey Maluleke’s Youth Entrepreneurship journey 1 day Where to reach South Africa’s ICT decision-makers 25 Jun 2025 MTN launches Youth Hustle Hub 2025 with R1m prize pool 19 Jun 2025 Top ICT achievers recognised at 2025 Enterprise Development Graduation 19 Jun 2025 South African brands dominate Africa’s brand value rankings 19 Jun 2025 Vodacom to invest R100m in 106 new rural base stations across KZN 13 Jun 2025
